England were criticised for playing into the hands of third Test hero Travis Head as Australia closed in on winning the Ashes.
Head struck a match-winning hundred in the first Test at Perth after volunteering his services as an emergency stand-in, and another vital ton on day three at the Adelaide Oval put his side in sight of an unassailable 3-0 lead.
By stumps he had 142 not out in a score of 271 for four, leaving England 356 runs behind. Their eventual chase will surely dwarf the unforgettable 362 they made at Headingley in 2019, while their previous high of 332 on Australian soil is a distant memory.
Head was able to reap plenty of runs from his favourite cut shot behind square, and afterwards the former England bowler Graeme Swann questioned the tourists’ approach.
“He got an easy start,” Swann said, speaking on TNT Sports. “There was a huge gap behind square on the off side, and the ball kept going there. When you’ve got a player like Travis Head who is so good at playing it late off the back foot, you need to get him reaching, you need to encourage the drive.”
Former Australian batter and head coach Justin Langer agreed. “You do not bowl to his cut shot. It was either [England] not executing the plan, or the plans were poor.”
England will begin the fourth day needing six more wickets to halt Australia’s charge, before facing a towering total to chase down on an Adelaide pitch that is likely to suit the spin of Nathan Lyon as the Test match wears on.
Steven Finn suggested Australia might declare at lunch to give themselves time to collect 10 wickets, with a hint of rain forecast on Sunday, but that notion was dismissed by his fellow pundits.
“Why?” asked Langer. “Why would they declare? They’re 2-0 up in the Ashes. To be good blokes? No chance.”
Swann added: “They’ll make England bowl them out. You don’t look at the forecast and go, let’s give England a sniff at winning this game.”
